Disclaimer: See chapters one through nine or chapter twenty.
Thanks to. . .
Space Vixon: I never ever make promises concerning Yume and Tasuki getting together. Nope. Sorry. You will have to wait and find out. And as for Yume telling them herself. . .I can only tell you to read this chapter.
neppy: Yes. Tingly. Lol. I wrote that part for you. : ) And you'll be happy in this chapter, too. (Nephiro is you, Nep, remember?) And I already told you about Nuriko. Remember?
Otaku Pitcher: Cliffhangers are fun for me, which is why I do them. Hehe. Nephiro's story is coming along pretty good, but you know that by now. It's not quite as thought out and planned as this one (I'm just going with whatever pops in my head) but it's working so far so why mess it up?
Chibi Chrissy: I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I can and I did. And I don't really have a problem with Nakago. I pity him, actually. I just had to have her do that.
Author's Note: I am very proud of this chapter. It is not exactly the best but just about every event in the story so far (minus a few rare instances) have been designed to all lead up to this and the next few chapters. In fact, the next chapter is really just part two of this one. It took me a little longer to get this particular chapter up because I rewrote the entire thing. If you read the original it would be hard for you to find any similarities in Yume's part (just ask neppy, she knows). Once I did that, I wasn't satisfied so I reread it and revised it like five times, which resulted in this version. I think that's enough of an author's note for now. It starts in Yume's point of view, by the way.
'. . .' represent the character who happens to be telling the story at that particular time's thoughts
Chapter 22: The Ties That Bind You. . .
I found myself inside a huge house, wandering through darkened hallways. I was alone. I was unsure why exactly I was here. I was unsure about everything. My memories were hazed, blurred together to form one, confusing mess. There was a light up ahead and I tried to walk towards it. I didn't know what I was doing here or even where I was. I kept walking but I never actually reached the light. It was like a bad dream. "Frustrating, isn't it?" I heard a male voice ask at the back of me. I turned and saw a figure standing there, smirking. It was an orange-haired man. 'Tasuki. . .I think his name is Tasuki. I can't remember anything. . .'
"Who are you? What is this place?" I questioned in a shaky voice. He just laughed a cold, heartless laugh and pulled out a strange, double-bladed weapon. I had never seen a weapon like that before but something about this seemed strangely familiar. He swung the weapon at me and I tried to run away. I cried out in pain as it sliced through my flesh as though it were nothing and fell to the ground. I was unable to hold back the tears that were forcing themselves out of my eyes. He walked over to me and kicked me in the stomach. Then he smiled down at me, an evil smirk that chilled me all the way down to the bottomless pits of my soul. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked through tears.
"Why? Because you are a weak obnoxious brat, that's why. I tried to tell you how I felt about you and you treated me like I was no more than a toy that you could cast away once you were finished. That's when I realized what a bitch you are. And then you ran off to be with Nakago. That made me apprehend how big of a slut you are. You're a bitch and a slut, that's why!" he exclaimed. "But Miaka on the other hand, she was always there for me. She is the one I really love. You were spying for Nakago the whole time. I'd love to finish this conversation but I have to take you somewhere." I got up and tried to run again but everything was moving in slow motion. "Trying to escape, are we? Well, I can't let that happen. You might bleed to death before I can have the pleasure of killing you." He swung the weapon again, this time cutting me from arm to cheek. I fell again, the tears now flowing freely from my eyes. The salt in them stung my wounds. "You should have stayed put and made it easier on yourself." He grabbed me by my hair and started to drag me with him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Elsewhere. . .Tasuki's POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We kept going and Shiriko followed hesitantly. I think he thought something was out there. He stopped suddenly again and stared at the tree in front of us, growling. "It's probably just a squirrel or something," Tamahome said. "Let's just keep going. We'll never find her if we stop at every tree the dog stops at. He probably has to pee."
I wasn't so sure. I knew that Yume trusts what Shiriko sees and hears no matter what she may think she sees. I looked up the tree just to be sure. It was dark so I really couldn't see all that great but as far as I could tell, there was nothing in the tree. I caught up with the group easy enough, managing to take Shiriko with me. It was hard to believe but I was beginning to think that the dumb mutt was starting to warm up to me. He only tried to bite me once.
As we headed towards the indent shelter, I realized that it seemed like we weren't getting any closer. "Hey guys. Is it just me or does it seem like we're going in circles?" I asked the group.
"It does sort of seem like that, you know," Chichiri responded.
"But that doesn't make sense! We must be getting closer," Miaka reasoned.
"It may not make sense but it is the truth. You can walk as much as you like in this forest but you'll never get any closer to your dear little friend Yume. I've trapped you here," a nasally sounding voice said from a tree. Shiriko started snarling.
"What'd you do to Yume? If you hurt her. . ." I threatened.
"She's fine for now but that may change at any moment. I'm under strict orders not to let you get to her," the voice responded. "No matter what."
"Who are you anyway?" Chichiri questioned.
"I'm Tomo of the Seiryuu seishi," the voice replied in a proud tone.
"Seiryuu. . .it figures," I mumbled. "What do you want with Yume?"
"Nothing personally. It's Nakago who wants her. She didn't. . .hehe. . .satisfy him the last time they met. That and she quit without a two week notice," Tomo taunted. "That's quite rude."
"Quit. . .What do you mean 'quit'?" I demanded.
"Oh, didn't she tell you? Well, I guess she wouldn't have. That wouldn't be a very smart move for her. Even she must have realized that. Nakago brought her to this world as a spy. The whole time she was with your little group she was spying for us and the best part about it is. . .you didn't even notice! But she quit so suddenly; poor Nakago just doesn't know what to do! So I'm here to bring her back. For some reason, Nakago seems to like her. I don't really care why. She's not exactly my type. She doesn't look like a screamer and it's not as fun if they don't scream a little. But now that I've blown her cover, I suppose I should just kill her, not that it matters to me whether she lives or dies."
"Ok man. That's just sick," Tamahome comented.
"I don't believe you! Show yourself you lying coward!" I yelled. The rest of the group was silent, taking in the information with silent and solemn stares. I couldn't believe it. Yume wouldn't spy for the enemy, would she? But then again, it certainly would explain a lot. 'Like why she was willing to go to Nakago's camp instead of Miaka and why she came here in the first place. . .'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Meanwhile . . .Back with Yume*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We were outside now. It was cold, really cold, and I didn't know where he was taking me. My body grew numb from the cold as I was I being dragged, dazed past real recognition, watching as the snow around me turned pinkish red when we passed through it. Once we reached the top, I was cast to the side, thrown into a cave wall. "Does this place look familiar, murderer?" my captor asked, leering at me. I turned my head in an attempt to take in my surroundings. I knew something important had happened there at one point but I couldn't recall the details. My memories were fading fast, as was my consciousness. I couldn't remember anything. "No? You don't remember what happened here? This is where you killed Nuriko, where you just sat by and watched him die."
"Picking on defenseless girls again are we, Tasuki?" I heard a new voice call from somewhere outside my extremely limited field of vision.
I looked around for the source and saw a man standing to the left of Tasuki. He had long blond hair and was wearing some weird blue armor. "Ah Nakago. What an unpleasant surprise. What are you doing here? This is none of your concern," Tasuki replied, turning from me to the newcomer.
"You're wrong. This is my concern. I can't just sit back and let you kill this girl. Yume does not deserve this. I won't let you hurt her."
I may not have had all of my memories intact but I knew something about this was wrong. Something told me that these roles were somewhat reversed. Nakago stepped forward and pulled out a sword. Out of nowhere, Tasuki pulled one too. They began to fight. Tasuki was winning at first. He landed a couple of decent blows on Nakago but Nakago was slowly making a comeback. He struck Tasuki on the back of his head with the handle of his sword. Tasuki fell to the ground with a sick thud and Nakago turned towards me. "Are you ok, Yume?" he asked, moving towards me. I attempted to scoot away, away from him. Something told me all was not right here and I couldn't do anything to protect myself. "What's wrong, Yume? Don't you remember me?" He grinned and it scared me. "I forgive you for what you did before. Come one now, we can go back to what we were like prior to your breakdown, can't we?"
'This isn't right. What's going on? Why is he here?'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Back With the Rest (Tasuki's POV)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tomo laughed. "Loyalty, such an adorable human trait. I'd be touched if it wasn't so pathetic and misguided. Are you afraid to believe me because you don't want to think that you could possibly have been deceived by such an innocent and lost looking little girl?" he taunted. He jumped from the tree and I started to lunge at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Harm me and you risk losing Yume forever. I hold her mind in my hands. I could easily destroy her now with a simple twist of my wrist." I looked to Chichiri to see if he was telling the truth.
"It could be true, Tasuki. We better find out what he did with her first," Chichiri said.
"I can't heal her if we damage her mind. I can only heal physical wounds, not mental ones," Mitsukake added.
"What'd you do with her?" I asked Tomo, slowly losing my patience with this demented freak.
"It's very simple actually. I trapped her mind inside this shell. She's living in an imaginary world inside in her own mind as we speak and she doesn't even know that it's not real." His ugly face laughed at his own "brilliance."
I walked over to Chichiri. "Can we attack him?" I asked quietly.
"As long as we don't hit the shell she should be safe. Don't kill him though because I don't know how to get her out of his world," he answered.
I smirked. "Fine. I'll just lekka shinen his sorry Seiryuu ass!" I pulled out my tessen. Shiriko snarled at the clown and I kneeled down to his level. "Look, I know we never got along but I need you to do something for me." The dog looked at me as though he were listening. "Can you get that shell from that guy? I need to fight him but I don't want to risk hurting Yume." He nodded and snuck into the shadows, practically disappearing into the darkness. He's kind of cool for a dog. I can see why Yume would like him. "Hey, Tomo! How do you escape from the shell world, anyway?"
He held out the shell. 'He talks too much.' "I suppose I can tell you. It's not like you can do anything to help her. It's fairly simple, really. You just have to realize that it's fake," he explained. "But that almost never happens." Shiriko chose to make his move at that moment. He jumped up and easily snatched the shell from Tomo's outstretched hand.
As soon as he was out of the way, I yelled "Lekka Shinen!" and watched as Tomo caught on fire. Shiriko dropped the shell at my feet. "We make a pretty good team," I said to the dog. Shiriko barked in response. I didn't know if it was in agreement or what but at least he responded for once.
"Stop drop and roll buddy. Stop drop and roll," Tamahome called out, laughing.
"Now then, release her from the shell now," I ordered, holding my tessen, ready to strike again.
"Fine." He said some weird words and threw the shell. Nothing happened. I glared at him. "She should be conscious now." He disappeared, smirking still. Something told me he was lying.
Shiriko and I ran towards the shelter. Yume was in there, lying practically lifeless. If she wasn't breathing I'd swear she was dead. She looked different but I was sure that it was her. A feeling of relief washed over me. She was alive and looked ok. 'We can always find out if Tomo was telling the truth later.' I ran towards her but was shot backwards but some unseen force. A multi-colored shield formed around her. "What the fuck?"
"Tasuki? Are you ok?" Chichiri asked.
"You're interrupting something even you cannot stop. Leave now or I'll have no choice but to kill you," an evil but innocent sounding female voice declared.
Author's Note:
Smack: Yea, I know. Another cliffhanger. This is one of that last ones (in a row) so you can deal.
neppy: ::nods head:: Yea! Deal with it!
Smack: Yume's part of the chapter should seem vaguely familiar (if you have any sort of memory at all). But will she be able to realize that the world is fake? Or will she remain a prisoner in her mind for all of eternity? And what will the group do with her now that they know the truth? What will Tasuki do?
neppy: ::raises hand and hops up and down:: I know! I know! Pick me, Smack! Pick me!
Smack: ::gestures towards neppy:: And she wonders why I didn't want her for a muse? Just give them the quote, Nep.
neppy: Fine. . .
"You didn't do it right. Duh," an innocent sounding voice answered from behind me.
neppy: I love little-
Smack: SHUT UP!!! MAN! YOU'RE WORSE THAN ME!
neppy: I'm sorry, Smack. Can I still be your muse?
Smack: I guess. Oh and those of you who I gave a role to, you will be in the chapter after the next one (24). Bye for now!
neppy: So long!
Thanks to. . .
Space Vixon: I never ever make promises concerning Yume and Tasuki getting together. Nope. Sorry. You will have to wait and find out. And as for Yume telling them herself. . .I can only tell you to read this chapter.
neppy: Yes. Tingly. Lol. I wrote that part for you. : ) And you'll be happy in this chapter, too. (Nephiro is you, Nep, remember?) And I already told you about Nuriko. Remember?
Otaku Pitcher: Cliffhangers are fun for me, which is why I do them. Hehe. Nephiro's story is coming along pretty good, but you know that by now. It's not quite as thought out and planned as this one (I'm just going with whatever pops in my head) but it's working so far so why mess it up?
Chibi Chrissy: I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I can and I did. And I don't really have a problem with Nakago. I pity him, actually. I just had to have her do that.
Author's Note: I am very proud of this chapter. It is not exactly the best but just about every event in the story so far (minus a few rare instances) have been designed to all lead up to this and the next few chapters. In fact, the next chapter is really just part two of this one. It took me a little longer to get this particular chapter up because I rewrote the entire thing. If you read the original it would be hard for you to find any similarities in Yume's part (just ask neppy, she knows). Once I did that, I wasn't satisfied so I reread it and revised it like five times, which resulted in this version. I think that's enough of an author's note for now. It starts in Yume's point of view, by the way.
'. . .' represent the character who happens to be telling the story at that particular time's thoughts
Chapter 22: The Ties That Bind You. . .
I found myself inside a huge house, wandering through darkened hallways. I was alone. I was unsure why exactly I was here. I was unsure about everything. My memories were hazed, blurred together to form one, confusing mess. There was a light up ahead and I tried to walk towards it. I didn't know what I was doing here or even where I was. I kept walking but I never actually reached the light. It was like a bad dream. "Frustrating, isn't it?" I heard a male voice ask at the back of me. I turned and saw a figure standing there, smirking. It was an orange-haired man. 'Tasuki. . .I think his name is Tasuki. I can't remember anything. . .'
"Who are you? What is this place?" I questioned in a shaky voice. He just laughed a cold, heartless laugh and pulled out a strange, double-bladed weapon. I had never seen a weapon like that before but something about this seemed strangely familiar. He swung the weapon at me and I tried to run away. I cried out in pain as it sliced through my flesh as though it were nothing and fell to the ground. I was unable to hold back the tears that were forcing themselves out of my eyes. He walked over to me and kicked me in the stomach. Then he smiled down at me, an evil smirk that chilled me all the way down to the bottomless pits of my soul. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked through tears.
"Why? Because you are a weak obnoxious brat, that's why. I tried to tell you how I felt about you and you treated me like I was no more than a toy that you could cast away once you were finished. That's when I realized what a bitch you are. And then you ran off to be with Nakago. That made me apprehend how big of a slut you are. You're a bitch and a slut, that's why!" he exclaimed. "But Miaka on the other hand, she was always there for me. She is the one I really love. You were spying for Nakago the whole time. I'd love to finish this conversation but I have to take you somewhere." I got up and tried to run again but everything was moving in slow motion. "Trying to escape, are we? Well, I can't let that happen. You might bleed to death before I can have the pleasure of killing you." He swung the weapon again, this time cutting me from arm to cheek. I fell again, the tears now flowing freely from my eyes. The salt in them stung my wounds. "You should have stayed put and made it easier on yourself." He grabbed me by my hair and started to drag me with him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Elsewhere. . .Tasuki's POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We kept going and Shiriko followed hesitantly. I think he thought something was out there. He stopped suddenly again and stared at the tree in front of us, growling. "It's probably just a squirrel or something," Tamahome said. "Let's just keep going. We'll never find her if we stop at every tree the dog stops at. He probably has to pee."
I wasn't so sure. I knew that Yume trusts what Shiriko sees and hears no matter what she may think she sees. I looked up the tree just to be sure. It was dark so I really couldn't see all that great but as far as I could tell, there was nothing in the tree. I caught up with the group easy enough, managing to take Shiriko with me. It was hard to believe but I was beginning to think that the dumb mutt was starting to warm up to me. He only tried to bite me once.
As we headed towards the indent shelter, I realized that it seemed like we weren't getting any closer. "Hey guys. Is it just me or does it seem like we're going in circles?" I asked the group.
"It does sort of seem like that, you know," Chichiri responded.
"But that doesn't make sense! We must be getting closer," Miaka reasoned.
"It may not make sense but it is the truth. You can walk as much as you like in this forest but you'll never get any closer to your dear little friend Yume. I've trapped you here," a nasally sounding voice said from a tree. Shiriko started snarling.
"What'd you do to Yume? If you hurt her. . ." I threatened.
"She's fine for now but that may change at any moment. I'm under strict orders not to let you get to her," the voice responded. "No matter what."
"Who are you anyway?" Chichiri questioned.
"I'm Tomo of the Seiryuu seishi," the voice replied in a proud tone.
"Seiryuu. . .it figures," I mumbled. "What do you want with Yume?"
"Nothing personally. It's Nakago who wants her. She didn't. . .hehe. . .satisfy him the last time they met. That and she quit without a two week notice," Tomo taunted. "That's quite rude."
"Quit. . .What do you mean 'quit'?" I demanded.
"Oh, didn't she tell you? Well, I guess she wouldn't have. That wouldn't be a very smart move for her. Even she must have realized that. Nakago brought her to this world as a spy. The whole time she was with your little group she was spying for us and the best part about it is. . .you didn't even notice! But she quit so suddenly; poor Nakago just doesn't know what to do! So I'm here to bring her back. For some reason, Nakago seems to like her. I don't really care why. She's not exactly my type. She doesn't look like a screamer and it's not as fun if they don't scream a little. But now that I've blown her cover, I suppose I should just kill her, not that it matters to me whether she lives or dies."
"Ok man. That's just sick," Tamahome comented.
"I don't believe you! Show yourself you lying coward!" I yelled. The rest of the group was silent, taking in the information with silent and solemn stares. I couldn't believe it. Yume wouldn't spy for the enemy, would she? But then again, it certainly would explain a lot. 'Like why she was willing to go to Nakago's camp instead of Miaka and why she came here in the first place. . .'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Meanwhile . . .Back with Yume*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We were outside now. It was cold, really cold, and I didn't know where he was taking me. My body grew numb from the cold as I was I being dragged, dazed past real recognition, watching as the snow around me turned pinkish red when we passed through it. Once we reached the top, I was cast to the side, thrown into a cave wall. "Does this place look familiar, murderer?" my captor asked, leering at me. I turned my head in an attempt to take in my surroundings. I knew something important had happened there at one point but I couldn't recall the details. My memories were fading fast, as was my consciousness. I couldn't remember anything. "No? You don't remember what happened here? This is where you killed Nuriko, where you just sat by and watched him die."
"Picking on defenseless girls again are we, Tasuki?" I heard a new voice call from somewhere outside my extremely limited field of vision.
I looked around for the source and saw a man standing to the left of Tasuki. He had long blond hair and was wearing some weird blue armor. "Ah Nakago. What an unpleasant surprise. What are you doing here? This is none of your concern," Tasuki replied, turning from me to the newcomer.
"You're wrong. This is my concern. I can't just sit back and let you kill this girl. Yume does not deserve this. I won't let you hurt her."
I may not have had all of my memories intact but I knew something about this was wrong. Something told me that these roles were somewhat reversed. Nakago stepped forward and pulled out a sword. Out of nowhere, Tasuki pulled one too. They began to fight. Tasuki was winning at first. He landed a couple of decent blows on Nakago but Nakago was slowly making a comeback. He struck Tasuki on the back of his head with the handle of his sword. Tasuki fell to the ground with a sick thud and Nakago turned towards me. "Are you ok, Yume?" he asked, moving towards me. I attempted to scoot away, away from him. Something told me all was not right here and I couldn't do anything to protect myself. "What's wrong, Yume? Don't you remember me?" He grinned and it scared me. "I forgive you for what you did before. Come one now, we can go back to what we were like prior to your breakdown, can't we?"
'This isn't right. What's going on? Why is he here?'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Back With the Rest (Tasuki's POV)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tomo laughed. "Loyalty, such an adorable human trait. I'd be touched if it wasn't so pathetic and misguided. Are you afraid to believe me because you don't want to think that you could possibly have been deceived by such an innocent and lost looking little girl?" he taunted. He jumped from the tree and I started to lunge at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Harm me and you risk losing Yume forever. I hold her mind in my hands. I could easily destroy her now with a simple twist of my wrist." I looked to Chichiri to see if he was telling the truth.
"It could be true, Tasuki. We better find out what he did with her first," Chichiri said.
"I can't heal her if we damage her mind. I can only heal physical wounds, not mental ones," Mitsukake added.
"What'd you do with her?" I asked Tomo, slowly losing my patience with this demented freak.
"It's very simple actually. I trapped her mind inside this shell. She's living in an imaginary world inside in her own mind as we speak and she doesn't even know that it's not real." His ugly face laughed at his own "brilliance."
I walked over to Chichiri. "Can we attack him?" I asked quietly.
"As long as we don't hit the shell she should be safe. Don't kill him though because I don't know how to get her out of his world," he answered.
I smirked. "Fine. I'll just lekka shinen his sorry Seiryuu ass!" I pulled out my tessen. Shiriko snarled at the clown and I kneeled down to his level. "Look, I know we never got along but I need you to do something for me." The dog looked at me as though he were listening. "Can you get that shell from that guy? I need to fight him but I don't want to risk hurting Yume." He nodded and snuck into the shadows, practically disappearing into the darkness. He's kind of cool for a dog. I can see why Yume would like him. "Hey, Tomo! How do you escape from the shell world, anyway?"
He held out the shell. 'He talks too much.' "I suppose I can tell you. It's not like you can do anything to help her. It's fairly simple, really. You just have to realize that it's fake," he explained. "But that almost never happens." Shiriko chose to make his move at that moment. He jumped up and easily snatched the shell from Tomo's outstretched hand.
As soon as he was out of the way, I yelled "Lekka Shinen!" and watched as Tomo caught on fire. Shiriko dropped the shell at my feet. "We make a pretty good team," I said to the dog. Shiriko barked in response. I didn't know if it was in agreement or what but at least he responded for once.
"Stop drop and roll buddy. Stop drop and roll," Tamahome called out, laughing.
"Now then, release her from the shell now," I ordered, holding my tessen, ready to strike again.
"Fine." He said some weird words and threw the shell. Nothing happened. I glared at him. "She should be conscious now." He disappeared, smirking still. Something told me he was lying.
Shiriko and I ran towards the shelter. Yume was in there, lying practically lifeless. If she wasn't breathing I'd swear she was dead. She looked different but I was sure that it was her. A feeling of relief washed over me. She was alive and looked ok. 'We can always find out if Tomo was telling the truth later.' I ran towards her but was shot backwards but some unseen force. A multi-colored shield formed around her. "What the fuck?"
"Tasuki? Are you ok?" Chichiri asked.
"You're interrupting something even you cannot stop. Leave now or I'll have no choice but to kill you," an evil but innocent sounding female voice declared.
Author's Note:
Smack: Yea, I know. Another cliffhanger. This is one of that last ones (in a row) so you can deal.
neppy: ::nods head:: Yea! Deal with it!
Smack: Yume's part of the chapter should seem vaguely familiar (if you have any sort of memory at all). But will she be able to realize that the world is fake? Or will she remain a prisoner in her mind for all of eternity? And what will the group do with her now that they know the truth? What will Tasuki do?
neppy: ::raises hand and hops up and down:: I know! I know! Pick me, Smack! Pick me!
Smack: ::gestures towards neppy:: And she wonders why I didn't want her for a muse? Just give them the quote, Nep.
neppy: Fine. . .
"You didn't do it right. Duh," an innocent sounding voice answered from behind me.
neppy: I love little-
Smack: SHUT UP!!! MAN! YOU'RE WORSE THAN ME!
neppy: I'm sorry, Smack. Can I still be your muse?
Smack: I guess. Oh and those of you who I gave a role to, you will be in the chapter after the next one (24). Bye for now!
neppy: So long!